Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, earlier this afternoon, I made it clear I was going to put forward a unanimous consent request asking the Senate to take up and approve the nomination of Michele Taylor, to serve as the U.S. Representative to the UN Human Rights Council with the rank of Ambassador, and in just a minute and a half or so, I will make that unanimous consent request.

Ms. Taylor has an exceptional record with respect to humanitarian issues. She has served on the Anti-Defamation League, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. She has been a strong advocate for the rights of women.

I come from a family who lost relatives in the Holocaust. Ms. Taylor is the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. And it is absolutely essential that we up the ante in the fight against anti-Semitism, and that is a key part of this country's diplomacy.

The reason that I am making this unanimous consent tonight is that Michele Taylor is unquestionably qualified for this important post, but there is a real time sensitivity to her nomination being cleared tonight. The regular session of the U.N. Human Rights Council begins on February 28, obviously just a few days away. It is absolutely essential that we confirm our representative now. Delaying Ms. Taylor's confirmation would obviously hinder the U.S. ability to advocate for American values and help vulnerable people who suffer under abuse and oppression around the world. And she will be able to build on some particularly important work that is going on in the Senate Committee on Finance, led by Senator Brown and Senator Crapo, working, for example, on forced labor and other issues that involve critically important human rights questions.

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